Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving in Tarzana

By Molly Pink

What happened? The bowl of leftover Halloween candy is still sitting by the door and now it’s already Thanksgiving. Maybe I would have thought more about it if I was cooking this year. Of course, Shedd & Royal Books and More is closed for Thanksgiving. That is to the public. Actually some of us are gathering there for dinner.

We’re turning the table in the yarn department into a dining room table for the day. Everybody is bringing something. I really believe this thing about wherever you go, there you are. What everybody is bringing absolutely says who they are.

My co-worker and crochet pal Adele Abrams is bringing decorations. That’s probably safer than her bringing food. She’s a crack crocheter, but something tells me her cooking skills might be a little off. Like she’d bring spaghetti with mini marshmallows and tangerine pieces mixed in. I’m sure her decorations will be like her clothes - colorful and hard to miss.

My best friend Dinah Lyons and her boyfriend (I hesitate to use that term for a man old enough to have white hair) Commander Blaine are bringing pumpkin tarts. He loves to entertain and I’m sure she’ll just be watching while he makes them. I heard he’s using butter cookie dough for the crust and that he’s putting a leaf shaped cookie on top as garnish. I’m sure they will be a treat for the eye and the taste buds.

Barry Greenberg is coming, that is if nobody gets murdered in the morning and he gets the case. That’s what happens when you’re a homicide detective. He’s bringing cranberry sauce he’s getting from the deli case at Gelson’s. He’s dropping it off at my house the night before, just in case something comes up, like I mentioned, and he can’t make dinner.

Mason Fields is a high powered attorney and it is possible he could get called away from dinner if some celebrity does something stupid and gets arrested and he has to bail them out. He’s bringing a berry cake from Sweet Lady Jane’s because he knows it’s my favorite cake.

Mrs. Shedd and Mr. Royal are making the turkey and stuffing. I know I could call them by their first names, but since they own the bookstore and are my bosses, I can’t bring myself to call them Pamela and Joshua. During his years of being a silent partner in the bookstore, Mr. Royal traveled all over and did everything from harvesting olives in Sardinia to running a ride at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Somewhere in all that he learned a special way to roast a turkey. She has a family recipe for stuffing that is supposed to be delicious.

Bob, the barista and cookie baker for the bookstore café, is going to serve espresso drinks and cookies shaped like werewolves. You have to understand that to Bob his real job is writing his screenplay about a planet full of werewolves.

So, what am I bringing? Some people might think I’d bring ice cream, since I’m known to have ice cream for dinner on occasion - one of the perks of living alone is that you can do that without anyone looking askance. I ixnayed it on the ice cream. My contribution is a salad of mache lettuce, avocado, tangerines, blue cheese, walnuts and dressing made of olive oil, orange vinegar and curry powder. And my favorite sweet potato dish. You mash up roasted sweet potatoes with lots of butter, some cinnamon, a little real maple syrup, and add some walnuts. Then you make layers of sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce and bake it for a while. It’s making me hungry talking about the dish. What can I say, I like my own cooking.

If you were coming to our dinner what would you bring that says something about who you are?

20 comments:

It sounds like a fabulous dinner! I think I'd bring a "roll ups" appetizer I just sampled at a party. All you need are some "wraps," spinach ones are good, and so are basil-tomato. Just spread them with whipped cream cheese, and top with drained sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped celery, chopped black olives and parsley and wrap them up...cut them in thin "wheels" and serve. You can also use diced sweet red peppers (you can buy them in jar). Everyone loves this recipe!

HI, This is Luanne. And as Susan said I love your books. Recently finished You Better Knot Die, they just keep getting better. I will bring wine, a red and a reisling. It rounds out the menu when you have wine.

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